Scanifly is a drone-based, software platform for solar plants

Scanifly is a drone-based, software platform for solar development and maintenance.

Solar software company Scanifly is obtaining weather data to enhance its shading analysis tools and offer country-specific solutions. Already with a presence in the U.S., Latin America and Australia, Scanifly is now eying markets in Europe. The software can generate viewsheds from any location on a solar array, the company says. There is no need to go on the roof to conduct a shading analysis; no more SunEye or Pathfinder equipment. After a brief drone flight and a few clicks, Scanifly’s software can produce a shading report with aerial photos and a proprietary analysis from any angle desired by a customer or regulator, commented CEO of Scanifly John Novak.

It’s current process differs from what is commonplace. Most developers leverage a preliminary design from a remote assessment, execute a sale, and then go back and forth to a site to acquire missing data. According to the firm it suggests an alternative process that saves solar companies up to 90 percent of the pre-construction time at a fraction of the cost. Developers go to the site and fly a drone over the property.

On average, 20 minutes later a company will have all the information they need from just one site visit. Subsequently, the Scanifly cloud creates a 3D model of the project that is a virtual replica with accuracy of approximately 3 inches from reality. From there solar designers can create arrays, analyze systems, estimate production and produce customized reports all in 3D. (nhp)